The Bourne Conspiracy

Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Conspiracy Review

Become the 30 million dollar weapon.

Hollywood and video games have frequently had a love affair with government agents because agents' jobs seem to be packed with action and danger. Not only do they travel to exotic locations and carry out missions to save the world, they are essentially free to use any means necessary to accomplish their goals. This virtual "license to kill" allows them to wreak havoc, creating intriguing action sequences and fast paced moments that keep the viewer (or player) on the edge of his seat. The most recent title to adapt this concept is High Moon Studios and Sierra's Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Conspiracy, the newly released action-adventure title that lets players unleash their inner Treadstone agent. While stepping into the shoes of the 30 million dollar weapon with a serious case of amnesia is an engaging task, particularly with the hand to hand combat, some of the technical issues attached to the title pull the game back from being as excellent as it could have been.

If you've seen the movie The Bourne Identity, you already know a majority of the plot behind The Bourne Conspiracy. The game starts with Bourne floating in the turbulent Mediterranean Sea shortly after his attempted mission to assassinate Wombosi, an African dictator. However, Conspiracy doesn't simply retell the movie, throwing in action sequences and button mechanics randomly. Instead, what it does is attempt to tell the backstory of Bourne prior to the assassination and continue through the end of the movie. It does this with a series of unique flashbacks, typically triggered by a passport or other items, which bring players back to prior events in Bourne's career when he was still paying attention to Conklin, his mission handler. By doing so, you get a sense of how effective Bourne was at his job -- as well as how dangerous he was when he started "malfunctioning."

Of course, because much of Jason's life rests within combat, the combat system attempts to impart a sense of his power, speed and improvisational destruction that Jason causes within a fight. He has both fast and heavy strikes attached to the Square and Triangle buttons respectively. Tapping either button triggers a punch while holding a button down charges a fast or heavy kick. By stringing these presses together in one of eight combos, you can cause serious damage to an opponent. Each successful strike will boost Jason's adrenaline meter, and when one section of the meter is filled, he can perform a takedown on an opponent, breaking their arm, shattering their knee or even turning their own weapon against them. The more you fill up your meter, the more opponents you can take out at the same time, which means that you can easily eliminate up to three soldiers at a time with a full adrenaline gauge.

These takedowns aren't simply for a brutal effect. They can also be used to "weaponize" the environment, giving Bourne a new way to inflict pain on an enemy. For instance, based on how close you happen to be to a desk, your takedown may involve grabbing a laptop or a book on top of it and smashing the object into your enemy's face, or it could be bouncing their skull off the corner of a table, leaving that section broken in pieces. Performing these attacks makes you feel that you're truly deadly, and that just about anything in your hands can be used to kill. As you go through the game, you'll discover that this is much more than a simple gimmick; instead, it becomes a vital battle technique, especially when you start to face off against some of the stronger fighters and Treadstone enhanced assassins sent to eliminate you. Once you realize how necessary maneuvering Jason around becomes, you'll constantly keep an eye out for objects surrounding you so you can hurt your enemies and quickly move forward.


However, while trying to max out your adrenaline meter or performing takedowns might seem like the game would simply degenerate into a button mashing festival, you'd be surprised at how well the fight sequences play out. For one thing, the enemies that you face off against are intelligent enough to block, parry or avoid your attacks if you constantly pull off the same move over and over again. What's more, they'll look for gaps during your attack and attempt to counter you if you simply attempt to pound the same buttons, meaning that you'll quickly find yourself on the ground and forced to reload the game. This is further emphasized when you realize that enemies will also perform their own takedown sequences on you, attempting to perform specialized throws or attacks. Fortunately, you're given the ability to escape or counter the blow, but these strikes can be just as deadly as the ones Jason can perform. That will definitely keep you on your toes and make you strategically approach each fight when you want to strike and when you want defend yourself, especially because hitting the right button to counter an enemy takedown will provide you with extra adrenaline for your own takedowns.

In This Article

Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Conspiracy Image

Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Conspiracy

Based on the action series about a former agent whose identity was erased but who still can't escape his past.
Genres:Action, Adventure
Mild Language, Violence, Blood, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco
Platforms:PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Developers:High Moon Studios
Publishers:Vivendi Games
Features:Number Of Players, Vibration, DualShock
Release Date:June 3, 2008
Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Conspiracy Review
Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Conspiracy Review